


Project Notes: Subject Sigma

by AKM509



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23373250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKM509/pseuds/AKM509
Summary: A summary of notes, narratives, and stories of Subject Sigma.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. 001: de Kuiper’s Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moira O’Deorian’s notes on the acquisition of Siebren de Kuiper

Subject Sigma has been released from confinement and is currently being transferred to a more secure facility. A fascinating man, his brilliance is unquestionable. Truly a shame his mind has been seemingly shattered. Reconstructive work begins in three days, after assessment of his mental and physical state. The site he was being kept at was... most inadequate for a man of his caliber.

The liberation process proceeded as follows.

While “recruitment” efforts were in process, the intelligence wing searched out possible targets for induction. An old, nearly buried paper trail led from the incident on ISS-4 to an internal containment facility in the Netherlands. Recon was carried out and Subject was discovered to be alive, if not necessarily well. The standard strike team - Reaper, myself, Sombra, and a set of troopers - was dispatched early yesterday morning. Following the breach, we navigated quickly to the holding cell. Sigma was kept inside, dozens of holoscreens filled with writing as pens floated about him. He became distressed at the sound of gunfire, and began attempting escape. We observed the containment methods - barbaric yet effective, the subject was shocked anytime his energy output exceeded a certain threshold - while the escort route was cleared. Already we observed two separate personalities present in Sigma: Dr. de Kuiper, a calm and collected scientist, and a second, shattered shell of a man, ranting incomprehensibly about his work and “the music”. These personalities seemed totally independent of one another, and seemed to switch with little to no warning.

The building had been cleared by now, and Reaper and myself were monitoring the subject before release.

Upon deactivation of the security protocols, everything seemed to bend inwards as a massive gravity fluctuation formed around Sigma. The glass cell shattered and concrete began to crack under the stress. Reaper lost grip of one shotgun, which was fired towards Sigma. The gunfire was dragged into a tight disc and seemed to be shredded by the tidal forces forming around Sigma, thus protecting him from harm. This event continued briefly until de Kuiper regained control of himself, when the anomaly ceased and we began to escort him from the premises. He was, understandably, confused, however we assured him he was in no danger until reaching the dropship. Friendly casualties were minimal, and severe structural damages were observed in the containment facility upon departure. Sigma was given a mild sedative for the journey back to base. Sombra was also able to access the vast data collected on Sigma during his confinement; said information is being transferred to my laboratory for study.


	2. 002: Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. de Kuiper moves in, and Moira plans her next steps.

Dr. de Kuiper hovered through the hallways of the compound, accompanied by several hundred pounds of equipment and supplies. Talon had provided him abundant space and resources for his studies and training, which he was currently helping set up. Troopers and others scrambled out of the way to avoid being slammed by one of many floating crates involved in the move.

The lab was divided into a few sections, separated by blast doors kept normally closed. The first section, a living and study center for Dr. de Kuiper’s use. The second, a well-insulated room with suppressors mounted about, dedicated to subduing and relaxing the panicked and unstable personalities of the subject. And the final, a weapons testing and sparring ground, where Sigma would be trained - once he was developed, of course. O’Deorian idly watched the process, simultaneously reviewing notes on de Kuiper’s personalities, mental states, triggers, abilities, and so forth. She would be, eventually, developing a system to force de Kuiper into a controlled, destructive force codenamed Sigma. The current method involved a piece of sheet music, marked “melody,” to remove de Kuiper and bring his more powerful personality to the forefront. With enough conditioning, the instabilities and chaotic tendencies could be trained out of him, leaving a ruthlessly intelligent, extremely destructive weapon for Talon operations.

But that was for later. For now, de Kuiper was content with unpacking, displaying a remarkable amount of precision while opening boxes, distributing furniture and equipment, even making a bed by affecting gravity. O’Deorian had yet to speak with him, but planned to after he was properly settled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this chapter is sparse no I will not apologize. Mostly just a set up until we get to the important stuff. More to come soon!


	3. 003: Laboratory Tests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moira begins her creation of Subject Sigma.

Siebren de Kuiper was hovering before a wide holoscreen, tossing a ball between his hands as he mused over a massive set of equations being written before him. His slippers were, as usual, abandoned on the floor. A knock at the door briefly distracted his attention. He called, “Come in,” pausing his writing to turn.

Moira entered, hands clasped behind her back and dressed in her lab attire. “Dr. de Kuiper! A pleasure to meet at last. I am Dr. O’Deorian. 

Siebren gently set himself back on the ground, stepping forward to shake her hand.

“I am the lead scientist and medical expert at this facility. I hope you’ve settled in well. Is there anything you need before we perform a health exam?” Moira spoke cooly and clearly, shaking his hand and stepping back.

“Thank you, I have. I- Ah, no, I suppose I can pick up my work later...” the astrophysicist trailed off. 

“Excellent. Please, follow me,” Moira turned and strode out of the room. Sigma began hovering again and followed.

Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed in simple drawstring pants, hovering in the examination room while Moira and a nurse took his vitals, took measurements, and wrote down notes.

“All seems to be in order. Thank you, Doctor de Kuiper. Moira, the results will be sent to your office.”

Moira nodded. “Good.” She waved the nurse out of the room. “Now, I presume you have many questions. Allow me to explain.

“We are in a facility owned and operated by Talon. We came to exist after the Omnic crisis, providing support and security for afflicted communities. We’ve since expanded into research, defense, and many other areas. We continue to provide support for rebuilding countries and security against threats to our livelihood.”

Sigma nodded. Having been confined for so long, he had no idea of the state of the world, let alone whatever organizations had sprung up after the crisis.

“Now, we have brought you here for research and assistance. Your knowledge and studies on gravitational forces are revolutionary, and we wish to provide you a place to develop and test your theories. We may ask for your assistance on certain situations or studies, but please rest assured that we will leave you mostly to your own work.”

Sigma nodded again. “Of course, I appreciate the space.”

“Now, doctor, I need some answers from you. How much do you remember from your experiments aboard the space station?”

De Kuiper thought for a moment. “Very little. I was told that I sustained damage, however the details were withheld from me during my confinement.”

“I understand. You are, naturally, curious about those details?”

De Kuiper hesitated. “I am,” he replied.

“Of course. Follow me.”

Shortly, they arrived at a door marked simply Σ - directly next to Siebren’s living and study quarters.

“Doctor, I ask that you remain calm and do not ask questions. This room may prove to be... distressing.”

Cautiously, the astrophysicist nodded.

With that confirmation, Moira keyed in a passcode and the door slid open.

Revealed was a large concrete room. One part was bare, while another contained what appeared to be a firing range. A barrier separated a small control room from the wide training space. Moira walked there, signaling de Kuiper to stay.

“This room is for you to freely test your... abilities. From reading your notes, I believe you have far more potential than you have been allowed to know.”

De Kuiper floated uncertainly to the center of the room. The barrier closed behind Moira, and shortly her voice echoed from the safe room. “Go ahead. Some instruments have been prepared for your use, try controlling them precisely.”

A table was arranged with a variety of objects - small balls, pens, and others - of varying size and mass.

Hesitantly, de Kuiper stretched out his hand, and the arranged objects flew together at the site of his created gravity well. Frowning, he dropped the objects and refocused. Moira watched on in silence.

After only a few minutes, he was able to independently control two objects - picking them up and levitating them across the room. Moira observed, writing notes. “A good start... hm. Let’s try...” The geneticist reached across the table to a small dial marked “Melody”.

As de Kuiper practiced, the faint notes of some unknown song reached his ears. Startled, he dropped the metal ball and smaller ball bearings he was causing to orbit it. 

“Wh- what is that-“

The music echoed through his mind, instantly recalling the trauma of his earlier experiment. Memories collided, thoughts and images appearing and vanishing from his psyche at random. Screaming filled his head, and the melody continued to overpower all thought. Wracked with mental pain, de Kuiper collapsed as Moira looked on.

The melody continued, increasing in volume, and eventually small tremors began to run through the room. The metal table, initially bolted to the floor, shook and burst apart at the hinges, debris scattering across the floor as tidal forces rippled across the training floor. 

As the chaos spread, the astrophysicist’s body rose, lifted off the ground and brought upright. A voice echoed from the now-conscious Sigma.

“Wh- where am I? This is not my laboratory. This is not the station. What- what is that- Where is that music coming from? What is that melody?”

With each question, gravitational anomalies appeared and vanished at random throughout the room.

“Subject Sigma. Focus.” Moira’s voice cut through the now-deafening music. “Pick up the ball.”

Confused, Sigma reached for the metal sphere.

“No!” Shouted the Talon scientist, and a painful shriek pierced Sigma’s ears.

“Pick up the ball without touching it.”

Wincing from the auditory confusion, Sigma again reached out his hand, and the ball levitated, just out of his reach.

“Good,” responded Moira, and the music lessened slightly. A wicked smile spread across her face. First try. Most satisfactory.

The first training session continued for hours - an unrelenting cycle of commands followed by harsh blasts of sounds, an increase in the trigger Melody, or by a clearer, focused sound cutting through the mess of sound. A chime here, the melody fading to nearly nothing. Slowly, through a complex set of triggers and effects, Moira developed in Sigma a reliance on her commands. Each success was detailed in a holopad stood beside Moira’s control panel.

Finally, after nearly five hours of conditioning, Moira directed Sigma to the ruins of the metal table.

“Collect the debris.”

Instantly, the metal shards and other gathered debris collected before Sigma, floating in a loose cloud.

“Condense it. Tighter. As dense as possible.”

Slowly, Sigma pressed his hands together. The cloud tightened, metal swirling together into a rapidly-spinning ball.

“Tighter.”

The gravity well deepened, and the metal began to heat under the stress.

“Tighter.”

Finally, in the center of the accretion, atoms shredded and collapsed under Sigma’s gravity. Immediately, the remaining metal spun outward, melted and forged into a twisted geometric cage surrounding the singularity.

“Good,” came Moira’s voice, as the music faded to silence.

Holding the black hole, a smile spread across Sigma’s face.


	4. 004: The Breakthrough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The problem, and the solution, to the dissociated de Kuiper and Subject Sigma.

The Talon council was seated about a long oak table, holoscreens and datapads arranged to display hundreds of news articles, shipment orders, information files, and every other bit of Talon business relevant to their meeting. Doomfist stood at the head of the table.

“Thank you, Maximilien. Proceed as normal. Moving on, Doctor O’Deorian. How is project Sigma progressing?”

“Extremely well. I can reliably separate the Sigma persona from de Kuiper. He’s still unstable, but personality integration begins next week; then, he should be ready for deployment.” She keyed up a video to the holoscreens. “This was taken during our most recent session, two days ago.”

Siebren was sitting in an office chair in the training room, closely studying one of his newly-created hyperspheres. A trembling black hole teetered between existence and instability inside the wireframe shell. Various instruments hovered about him, and a floating pen scrawled notes into a nearby datapad.

A minute passed in silence before the trigger melody came into focus over the speakers. Siebren looked up, eyes becoming panicked as the opening chords reached his ears. The instruments fell to the floor and the hypersphere collapsed as de Kuiper lost control.

Moments later, the scientist’s body rose, unnaturally still and controlled.

“Form hyperspheres,” came Moira’s command from the control booth.

Sigma’s programming took over and, with practiced efficiency, a pair of hyperspheres sprung into existence. Sigma held position, hardly drifting in space as he awaited instruction.

“Fire on target.”

He focused on a training bot across the room and the hyperspheres lept from his hand, detonating against the already-battered shell.

“Form and fire on target B.”

Sigma fired again, this time detonating against a concrete wall with a glowing target. Rubble blasted out from the impact site and scattered across the floor.

“Perform accretion.”

Sigma hesitated, unsure of what to do. He generated another set of spheres and fired them at the same spot, chipping away at the bunker. As he became agitated, debris and the instruments from earlier were dragged from their spaces toward Sigma. His power output began to rapidly increase, and the reinforced walls began to groan under the new gravitational force.

Moira swore in her control room and pressed an emergency stop key. Instantly, a horrible shriek pierced the room and gravitational dampeners (created from de Kuiper’s own research) stopped the runaway gravity well. Sigma dissolved the hyperspheres and clapped his hands over his ears as the wail continued. A set of troopers and enforcers entered, carrying a tranquilizer gun. They quickly overpowered the confused Sigma, drugged him, and returned him to his quarters.

As the footage ended, Doomfist nodded his approval. “Excellent work. Our technology labs have finished their work, so whenever you believe the subject is ready, you may begin training. We’ve integrated your specifications and some shielding into his suit.”

“Most satisfactory. No other business to report.”

“Excellent. Now, some closing matters...”

Moira stood before a holoscreen displaying all the data collected on Subject Sigma. The next step, the reintegration process, was both the most important and the most difficult. Talon currently had, technically, control over the most powerful weapon possibly ever created. However, he wasn’t independent. Sigma required constant surveillance and guidance, so much so that his strategic benefits were negligible at best.

Moira kept notes in one corner of her workspace, detailing the likely processes to successful integration.Once the powerful “Sigma” was active, the intelligent “de Kuiper” personality was lost. Somehow, Moira needed to combine the two. She knew it had to do with music - de Kuiper had already displayed a great connection to music. So much so, in fact, that Moira suspected de Kuiper to have a form of synesthesia, seeing mathematical equations and scientific theories in chords and resonances.

Speaking of de Kuiper, Moira’s study had yielded fascinating results about the astrophysicist. Likely a savant, de Kuiper saw the world in terms of theories - to him, a situation like a glass of water was only the combination of dozens of laws and truths of reality - gravity, pressure, temperature combining into the most mundane of objects. With that sort of analytical capability, Moira mused, it would only make sense how de Kuiper would be drawn to the black hole - so little information was known, it gave his mind the most difficult possible challenge to understand them.

Even outside of the Sigma project, de Kuiper had been invaluable for Talon. Already, his equations had been converted by Talon scientists into efficient transports, better weapons and armors; everything was slowly being revised by the gravity-controlling instruments derived from de Kuiper.

The issue with de Kuiper was, quite simply, that he was weak. For Subject Sigma to be a success, Moira needed both Sigma’s strength and de Kuiper’s intellect. 

Three experiments had failed, injuring half a dozen assistants and destroying a section of the training grounds in the process. Moira steepled her fingers as she rewatched the holovids, noting Sigma’s mental states.

Eventually, after a week of sleepless nights and dozens of pages worth of data collection, she developed a comprehensive methodology.

“Subject Sigma, integration test four,” she said. A team of Talon scientists stood at control stations, monitoring de Kuiper through an observation window. He hovered before his datapads, a small hypersphere floating above a table nearby. He switched his attention between the two, observing the black hole and recording data: mass, radius, spin, energy output, and dozens of other variables noted in greek symbols. On the datapads, sets of long equations grew, changed, and erased themselves, according to the measured changes in the singularity. He wore a helmet of sorts, given to him under the guise of focusing his gravitational abilities.

“Begin recording. Control measurements go.”

A few minutes passed in silence.

“Prepare integration procedures,” said Moira.

“Integration systems ready.”

“Suppressors ready.”

“Monitoring ready.”

“Test four ready.”

Moira took a deep breath. “You may begin when ready. Follow outlined procedures.”

Slowly, the infamous melody began to play. The helmet began transmitting a stream of information to the control booth, highlighting the activated neural pathways.

As the melody began to take hold in Sigma’s brain, the helmet isolated the changed pathways and began shocking Sigma’s brain, attempting to activate both at once.

Moira watched neutrally, hands folded neatly behind her back. Sigma’s screams intensified, his psyche desperately trying to reconcile the two identities.

Minutes passed, the Talon scientists activating gravitational dampeners to avoid structural damage as power fluctuations radiated from the subject. Eventually, breathing heavily, Sigma rose from the ground. The air stilled as the astrophysicist considered his surroundings. He held out one hand, and a pair of hyperspheres generated.

“What... is this?” He wondered aloud. 

The control booth was silent; every scientist looked to Moira. A cool smile spread across the geneticist’s face. “Contact Ogundimu. Inform him that test four has been a success. Dismissed.”


	5. 005: Mission Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After reintegration, Sigma begins training and is assigned to his first major mission.

“Ah, Dr. de Kuiper. Thank you for joining us. We’ve outfitted your suit with the updated comms systems Dr. O’Deorian requested, as well as the HUD updates you mentioned. We removed the dampeners as well, so you won’t have to worry about being disabled in the field. The damages from the latest mission were insignificant, but we’ve integrated a barrier to your kit...”

The engineer continued on as Sigma listened neutrally. Since the reintegration, he’d been allowed to roam the compound more freely, including the wide grounds and public training ground. He’d also been assigned to small escort missions, overseen by Dr. O’Deorian and plenty of Talon soldiers. As of yet, they hadn’t encountered the paramilitary “Overwatch,” but Moira warned Sigma they’d be sure to turn up. 

There was another mission later that day, one of seemingly higher importance - a mission briefing noted the inclusion of the leader “Reaper,” a nickname Sigma didn’t want to consider much.

Sigma returned to his quarters, intending to practice with the new features before the mission began. He quickly donned the suit and activated the helmet, accessing the HUD to ensure his requests had been put in. Satisfied, he floated outside to the firing range, humming to himself.

Once he arrived, the few other Talon soldiers cleared out. Most people in the compound seemed uneasy with the astrophysicist, perhaps wisely. Before the integration, Sigma remembered, he could be quite... unpredictable.

Some precise gestures with his gloved hand opened the HUD’s message left by the engineering team.

_You will notice an addition to your left hand: this is the new barrier provided to block enemy fire. Force the corners of the barrier away from your hand to deploy it, the barrier will hold position until you recall it. Additional shielding has been added to this model. A small alarm will sound when shields are depleted._

_Dr. O’Deorian would like you to practice blocking incoming projectiles using gravity wells, as occurred during your liberation. The suit is configured to convert the incoming energy to shields. Details attached._

Curiously, Sigma read through the details of the configuration. He also Moira’s description of the “accretion disk” the prisoner generated during his rescue.

Satisfied, Sigma floated over towards the responsive training bots, generating hyperspheres as he warmed up.

Hours later, a call came through from Moira.

“Sigma, it’s time. Please proceed to Dock B.”

“Understood, Doctor. I’m on my way.”

With one last flourish, Sigma closed the black hole in his left hand and charged the suit with shields. He floated out of the training grounds and towards the exit dock.

Sigma boarded the drop ship, nodding briefly to the ground crew as they made their final preparations. He took a seat across from Moira and who he assumed must be Reaper - a black-clad figure with faint wisps of smoke pooling at his feet. Sigma had the brief thought -  is this really the good side? but was interrupted by a barely-audible screaming sound from his earpiece. Swearing faintly, he rapped against the helmet, not noticing Moira’s self-satisfied smile from across the transport.

“Preparing for liftoff. Escorts cleared. TD-Alpha, cleared. TD-Beta, cleared, TD-Gamma...”

The small contingent of dropships launched and quickly assumed formation, flying towards Egypt.

“Recently, Overwatch has been harassing our humanitarian efforts near the Temple of Anubis. Simply, we need to secure the area and clear the way for our ground contingent. We don’t know exactly their numbers, but know that they are armed and extremely dangerous,” said Reaper. “They are similarly enhanced as we are, with experimental weapons and unique abilities. Sigma, Moira will brief you on the most likely members you should remember. I’ve uploaded the Temple’s map to your HUD. Until final approach, everyone just settle in...”


	6. 006: The Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talon’s mission at the Temple of Anubis begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah-ha! You thought I was done updating this fic, didn’t you?

Moira relayed some data files on the Overwatch Strike Team to Sigma, which he opened on his HUD. Among them:

_ Winston - Genetically Modified Gorilla. Equipped with short-range shock cannon, keep distance. [Details Attached] _

_ Dr. Ziegler - Primary Overwatch healer. Agile but not individually dangerous. [Details Attached] _

_ Tracer - Extremely agile, armed with rapid-fire pistols. Avoid being singled out. [Details Attached] _

_ Genji - Extremely fast, agile, and dangerous. [Details Attached] _

Sigma read curiously through the files, frowning especially at the members with serious agility. “This could pose a problem with my hyperspheres... Perhaps by deepening the target well I can accelerate them further...”

Sigma continued to muse as his melody played quietly beneath his helmet.

Meanwhile, an Overwatch dropship was landing at the Temple. Tracer hopped out of the cockpit, blinking across the open space, while Genji and Winston were a little slower to disembark. They were greeted by Mercy, beneath a nondescript tent being used as a field base.  
”Any updates, Angela?” asked Winston. 

“Nothing concrete. Helix is still ignoring our tipoffs, though I cannot say that is particularly surprising,” replied the medic. “Young Amari is still posted on duty, however, so we have that on our side.

“Civilians avoid this area as it is, so collateral damage should be kept to a minimum. Some rumors have been coming in from across the world about a new Talon operative, but nothing we can say for certain.”

“And what of Talon? Do we still expect them to try and take the Temple?” asked Genji.

“We have seen their reconnaissance ships twice now, Genji. It would be foolish to assume anything else. Now, go and ensure our perimeter signals are online. I will finish my adjustments here and be with you in a moment.”

Genji nodded affirmative and set out at a quick jog, vaulting over lower walls to keep an eye on the nearest drop zone.

Pharah stood watch over the entrance proper of the Temple, flanked by a pair of other Helix Raptora fliers. Technically, Helix could be obligated to take the Overwatch agents into custody, but it had been made clear enough by both Amari and Overwatch that the Helix guards would be woefully inadequate. So, they remained at a terse ceasefire.

Mercy finished her repairs to her Valkyrie suit, screwing the back plate back on and setting it on the table. She looked out across the small encampment - a couple of tents and barely twenty Overwatch agents. A few wore the old blue body armor from the glory days, many others were new sympathizers from local civilians or the police force. Mercy had only two other medically-trained agents. She sighed. She missed her old lab. “But, we move on,” she told herself, walking off to Genji’s lookout.

She barely made it halfway before the cyborg clambered over a reinforcement and sprinted toward her. “You were right! Here they come!” he shouted back at her as he ran towards the camp.

“Ah, scheisse,” she muttered, running to follow.

When she arrived, the camp was quickly preparing, soldiers donning armor and equipping weapons. The strike team members were ready and waiting, Winston directing forces while Genji led a small early force to hold off the approach. Mercy quickly put on her Valkyrie suit and powered on her Caduceus. As the staff finished powering up and the fledgling Overwatch took up defensive positions, Mercy took a deep breath. “Just another objective defense.”

Three Talon dropships led the way, landing in a precise semicircle and unloading a mix of Troopers and Enforcers. The fourth dropship landed behind them, letting off Reaper, Moira, and Sigma. Reaper nodded briefly to Moira and waved a team of Troopers away to flank. Sigma watched them disappear between the buildings lining the central road.

“Sigma, you’ll stay with the main force. Nothing special, just keep out front and use your barrier to lock down enemy fire. Once the Overwatch special operatives come out, we’ll need you to use your other abilities more liberally.

Sigma nodded. “Understood, Doctor.”

“Excellent. Teams Alpha and Gamma, on me. Stay behind Sigma’s shield and please, avoid unnecessary damage. You know I can’t heal all of you.”

And so, with a flourish, Sigma generated a pair of hyperspheres and deployed his shield, and the group began to push forward.

“We’ll rendezvous with team Beta at a central fountain ahead. From there, we can push toward the temple. We expect heavy resistance on the marked areas, so have your barrier at the ready.”

The Talon strike team pushed forward, Sigma floating ahead with a loose net of Talon troopers following behind, and Moira near the center. From ahead, Sigma could hear gunfire, both rapid automatic rifle fire and loud shotgun blasts, until both fell silent. A hoarse voice came through the comms. “You’re clear.”

Sigma waved forward the troopers and continued, aware of neither the bodies on the rooftops nor Reaper dissolving into smoke ahead.

The force encountered brief resistance, but Sigma blocked it with a barrier and the return fire cleaned them up quickly. A chrome and green blur flashed away from the barricade, seemingly dodging away from the incoming gunfire. Three shuriken slammed into the barrier before Genji jumped into an alleyway and vanished. Another blur flashed across the rooftops as he retreated.

Genji flipped over a pile of crates and arrived back at the main defensive position. “The rumors are true. A new Talon operative. The forward guard was just wiped out. They had a barrier and overpowered us without any trouble.”

The defending force shifted anxiously.

“Any special powers?”

“None that I saw, but he seemed to be floating.”

Winston nodded. “Understood. Overwatch, defensive positions. Use cover and don’t expect any free shots. Tracer, Genji and I will handle the specialists.”

Assent murmured through the group, and the force spread out to battle positions. The Helix security team, led by Pharah, boosted up to higher vantage points and looked over the scene, rocket launchers at the ready.

“No turning back now,” said Tracer.

The skirmish began about as expected. Sigma had sent his barrier ahead of the advancing Talon forces, watching with interest as gunfire rattled harmlessly off the transparent blue wall. Talon quickly established a forward foothold, taking cover behind natural ruins as the barrier cracked, and then shattered. The firefight raged for a few minutes, neither side making any progress, until suddenly, a salvo of rockets rained down on a Talon holdout, eliminating the Troopers without any difficulty. At the same time, the Overwatch specialists dove the left flank, electrocuting and blasting the force without difficulty. Moira swore. “There they are. Sigma, it’s time to be a little more involved. Forward.”

The astrophysicist smiled cruelly, melody only faintly audible through his helmet. “Let’s begin the experiment,” he responded, as a pair of hyperspheres collapsed into being in his hand.

Tracer crouched behind cover, pulse pistols reloading as she looked around the battlefield. Overwatch and Talon soldiers were still engaged in firefight, but with nobody gaining any ground, this fight would come down to the specialists of either side.

Just as she finished that thought, a pair of small metallic...  something s ricocheted off a pillar and directly into her hiding place.

“Woah!” she shouted, blinking away from the projectiles. She watched as the spheres gravitated towards the wall and detonated, spraying shrapnel around where she was just hiding.

Looking up, she saw the new operative Genji had described. Tall, and literally floating above the rest of the battle, his opaque red helmet was emblazoned with the Talon logo. As she watched, he held out his hand, and another pair of projectiles seemed to materialize from thin air. “I’ve got eyes on the new Talon member. I’m going to-“ she trailed off as the expressionless mask turned toward her, and before she could react, another pair of spheres was rocketing towards her. She blinked out of the way and ran for cover as Sigma glided toward her, eerily quiet. Hyperspheres flew by her, detonating off the ruins and throwing her off balance as she ran.

“That‘s quite enough of that!” she shouted, flipping her pistols to her hands. She turned and opened fire on the approaching tank. Blue energy rained down on Sigma, scattering across his chest and body. The suit’s built-in shields absorbed the damage, however Sigma halted for a moment to assess the incoming fire. Tracer grinned and blinked again, reloading and opening fire across Sigma’s back. He turned, throwing hyperspheres at the attacker, but Tracer was just slightly too quick. An alarm sounded in Sigma’s helmet as his integrated shields faltered under the continued fire. Tracer continued to blink around the slower tank, wearing away his armor.

Enough of this,” Sigma muttered. Tracer blinked ahead of him, pistols at the ready, and time seemed to slow. Sigma put forth his hand, and a black hole spun into being ahead of him just as the British operative opened fire. The pulses flew toward Sigma’s helmet, right on target, until the gravitational pull of his kinetic grasp took hold. The pulses diverted, almost fell, into the gravity well, disappearing soundlessly. As Tracer reloaded, he closed his fist, and energy hummed through the suit. Shield pools recharged rapidly, and Sigma laughed. “Not fast enough,” came the taunt, echoing out of the mask. Tracer hesitated just a moment too long, and a pair of hyperspheres bounced off the floor and impacted with her chestplate. The metal cages blasted apart, embedding shrapnel directly into Tracer’s chronal accelerator. A flash of blue energy illuminated the small battlefield, and Tracer collapsed, accelerator functioning, but badly damaged.

Satisfied, Sigma turned away, only to come face-to-face with Genji dashing toward him. Sigma’s barrier pushed forward just in time to block the first salvo of shuriken flung at him. Genji lept impossibly high, over Sigma, throwing more shuriken into Sigma’s back. He recalled the barrier and turned, backing away and redeploying the barrier for cover as he retreated. He fired a pair of hyperspheres, which Genji deflected against his blade and off to the side. Frowning at this development, Sigma continued to retreat. The battle continued to rage around them, Helix Security exchanging rockets with Talon gunfire. As Sigma passed a destroyed barricade, he had a moment of inspiration. Genji continued to advance, wearing away at Sigma’s barrier and leaping away from his hyperspheres. With a moment of respite as Genji reloaded, Sigma collected the debris into a dense mass and held it. Genji dashed forward, and Sigma hurled the accretion to meet him. The debris smashed through Genji’s dash, stopping him in the air and knocking him to the ground. Standing above the dazed ninja, Sigma shook his head in disappointment. With one hand, he created a set of gravity wells, locking Genji in place and pulling him into the air. With a sneer, Sigma flung him away, slamming him into a wall and knocking him unconscious. Sigma turned back toward the greater battle, suit still humming with overcharged shields and ready for more.

Winston and Mercy were fighting alongside one another, fighting off Talon troopers, when they heard Tracer’s, and then Genji’s, communication devices cut off abruptly with shouts of pain. Winston punched a last Talon soldier with his Tesla cannon, and looked worriedly at Mercy. She nodded briefly, and without any further communication, Winston lept toward the downed teammates. Mercy followed, wings spreading as she flew to the apex of Winson’s jump.

Sigma watched this and hurled another set of hyperspheres along the pair’s trajectory. Neither made direct contact, but the explosions were enough to disrupt Mercy’s flight, and she wobbled unsteadily until a lucky shot from a Talon trooper connected with her Valkyrie wing, and Angela fell to earth.

Before he could capitalize on the opportunity, a pair of rockets detonated around Sigma, breaking his focus and knocking him down. Pharah and the other remaining Helix Raptora hovered far away, launching rockets down on the astrophysicist. Desperately, he put up his barrier, protecting him from the brunt of the barrage. As he slowly got up, the barrier began to crack. Moira, with a small group of Talon agents, grouped together with Sigma and began to return fire. The barrier shattered, and just as the rockets were about to wreak havoc on the group, Sigma held out his hand again, stopping the rockets in midair and dragging them into a black hole before they could damage the Talon force. The black hole expanded with the added mass, growing until it no longer fit in Sigma’s hand, and instead floated in front of him. The rocket assault continued even as Sigma closed his fist and the suit hummed with power. “This power... such possibilities!” he laughed. The kinetic grasp regenerated his barrier, and recharged and even overfilled his shields. Rockets impacted directly against him, but had no effect against the powered-up suit. Barrier replaced, the Talon troopers began to lay down heavy return fire against the fliers, and they quickly dropped down into cover.

Talon troopers quickly rushed forward, routing the Overwatch agents. The few remaining agents fell back to the downed specialists and began to put up a fighting retreat. Winston put up his projector, shielding the small group from gunfire as Mercy got Genji and Tracer back on their feet. Briefly assessing the situation, Winston gave the final command. “Fall back!”

Meanwhile, Sigma was radiating energy from his overcharged suit. Talon operatives, Moira included, backed away from him as gravity began to warp and bend. The effects intensified, knocking soldiers to the ground and raising Sigma into the air, until abruptly, the flux ended and Sigma fell to the ground, unconscious.


	7. 007: Illusion

He was floating. The void enveloped all.

"I..."

"I... I see..."

A cut of yellow, across the zenith of consciousness.

"Angel... fallen angel..."

"Flight, freedom..."

"Freedom. Flight..."

A restraint - a strap across his chest. Golden freedom shrouded. Soured. Tainted.

"Imprisonment."

Slowly. From the outside. The faintest hints of... what was that?

A melody, rising and falling. Comfort.

Equations, forces and fields, following the harmony.

There was no freedom.

There was no imprisonment.

It was all...

It's all an illusion.


	8. 008: Charting Course

The medical lab was floating - gravity neutralized by the incredible fluctuations Sigma was producing. Talon medical officers and specialists alike clung to walls, ceiling tiles, anything that they could get a hold on. Sigma floated in the middle of the debris, suit hissing as it burned away excess energy. The opaque red helmet floated nearby, spinning aimlessly.

Moira hovered upside-down, situated on an overturned desk, datapad in hand. Sigma had been unconscious, and strange anomalies had accompanied the returning Talon dropship, ever since the overload at the Temple. With Sigma's helmet off, she had no direct brainwave data - physical notes would have to do.

A medical team pushed themselves to Sigma's side, slinging a restraining belt over the astrophysicist and moving him back into the bed - and more importantly, the ground. With Sigma secured, the rest of the room paused, then fell to the earth. Moira herself narrowly avoided being crushed by her just-past anchor as the desk slammed into the tile. A chorus of groans and shouts of surprise and pain accompanied the clamor of a room returned to gravity. The helmet landed beside Sigma's head, unnoticed in the wreck.

\--

Situation Report: Target Acquisition - Temple of Anubis, Egypt

_Specialist Moira O'Deorian_

The primary objective - securing the Temple - was a success. Casualties were as expected. More information is detailed in Gamma Team's Captain's report, attached. Defenses are being strengthened, and research teams will be deployed when we are sure of their security. Overwatch specialists, particularly Tracer and Genji, were harmed but escaped before we could capitalize. The remaining forces were routed without difficulty.

Per the secondary objective - Sigma is still in medical confinement. He refuses to speak and becomes agitated when his melody is not played in his vicinity. Gravitational dampeners are working full-time, and we are drafting plans to move him to a more regular location. Updates pending.

With the Temple under our control, I suggest we maintain this position for some time. I think it unwise to put Sigma into a live-fire situation in the near future, especially until we can establish communication with him. Sombra's intelligence, while useful, is not immediately actionable. I suggest we plan as though we will not have access to Sigma for our next objectives.

O'Deorian out.

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s another work! I hope you like it. This work is basically unedited, just writing for the love of it. Please comment your thoughts, kudos if you enjoyed, and have a great day!


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